Manchester United face competition from Chelsea for Cagliari’s Nicolo Barella

Manchester United have made a £30million bid for Nicolo Barella of Cagliari, according to Corriere dello Sport.

The Red Devils have performed well since the changing manager in December and new caretaker boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could be looking to replace the disappointing Fred by signing the young Italy international.

Solskjaer will have competition for the Serie A star as Chelsea are also reported to be interested in signing Barella, and are willing to pay £45million for his services.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has made a faultless start to his Manchester United management Photo: Paul Roberts / Offside.

The 21-year-old is a product of the Cagliari youth system and has made 92 appearances for the club since his debut in May 2015; a 2-1 Coppa Italia loss to Parma.

This season, Barella has started 18 of his side’s 19 league matches, scoring one goal and helping them maintain a mid-table place in the league.

The midfielder was impressive in his senior debut for the Italian national team in October; a 1-1 draw with Ukraine, and has since then gone on to collect three more international caps, including two appearances in the UEFA Nations League.